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The Williams F1 team is a British-based Formula One racing team and constructor. It is owned by Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited and competes under the constructor name ROKiT Williams Racing in Formula One.
History
The team was founded in 1977 by Sir Frank Williams and automotive engineer Sir Patrick Head. The new team came after Williams had two unsuccessful ventures in Formula One: Frank Williams Racing Cars (1969-1975) and Wolf-Williams Racing (1976).
Clay Regazzoni won Williams’ first ever race at the 1979 British Grand Prix. At the 1997 British Grand Prix Jacque Villeneuve won the team’s 100th Grand Prix making them the third team to do so after Ferrari and McLaren. As a constructor, Williams won 9 Constructors titles from 1980-1997.
Drivers who have raced for the Williams team include Australia’s Alan Jones; Finland’s Keke Rosberg; Britain’s Nigel Mansell, Damon Hill and Jenson Button; France’s Alain Prost; Brazil’s Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna; and Canada’s Jacques Villeneuve. Only Senna and Button on that list did not win a Drivers Championship under Williams.
Engine
Williams’ car for the 2019 Formula One season is called the FW42 and it was designed by former Williams Chief Technical Officer Paddy Lowe. The car missed the first two days of testing after production was not finished on time. Its engine is a Mercedes M10 EQ Power+ 1.6 L (98 cu in) direct injection V6 turbocharged engine limited to 15,000 RPM in a mid-mounted, rear-wheel drive layout.
For its electronic motor, the FW42 uses the Mercedes kinetic and thermal energy recovery systems. The car has eight forward speeds and one reverse. The car made its competitive debut at the 2019 Australian Grand Prix with George Russell and Robert Kubica on the driver’s seat of its two cars.
Drivers
Like most drivers, George Russell began his racing career in karting. In 2014, Russell got his first taste of a single-seater race when he competed for Formula Renault 2.0 Alps. That year, Russell also competed for the BRDC Formula 4 Championship and won the championship there. He would graduate to Formula 3 in 2015 and finished sixth in the championship and second to Charles Leclerc in the rookie standings. In 2017, Russell would win the 2017 GP3 championship and the following year the FIA F2 championship.
The Briton would move up to Formula One as part of junior driver program of Mercedes-AMG Petronas Sport. Later, he would test drive for Force India and in October 2018, Williams announced that they signed Russell to drive for them starting the 2019 season and he would be partnered by Robert Kubica.
Kubica is the first Polish driver to compete in Formula One. From 2006-09, Kubica drove for the BMW Sauber F1 team and took his first (and only) Formula One victory at the 2008 Canadian Grand Prix. He drove for Renault in 2010 and was set to start again for them in 2011 when Kubica figured in a near fatal rally crash.
He returned to racing in 2013, focusing on rallying. Kubica tried his luck in GP3, LMP1 and Formula E but he ultimately ended as test driver for Williams in 2017. After Felipe Massa announced his second retirement, Kubica was among those considered to take his spot in the Williams F1 team. The following year, Kubica was named as Williams’ reserve driver for the 2018 season. Before the last race of 2018, Williams announced that Kubica would drive full time for them beginning 2019.
Stats
As of May 2, 2019, the George Russell and Robert Kubica are two of the four drivers in the 2019 Formula One season who have not yet earned a point. As far as Formula One betting is concerned, they are also not expected to contend for the Drivers championship this year and neither is Williams considered a contender for the Constructors’ title as well.
Russell is in his first full season racing in Formula One. The 21-year old Briton has four starts in his career. He finished 16th in Australia, 15th in Bahrain, 16th in China and 15th in Azerbaijan the last time out.
Likewise, Robert Kubica is racing his first season with Williams. The 34-year old Polish driver last raced in 2010 for the Renault F1 team. He finished the 2010 season with 136 points and 8th place in the Drivers standings. For his career, Kubica has a total of 80 starts and he has 1 win, 12 podium finishes, 1 pole and 1 fastest lap ran. This year, Kubica placed 17th in Melbourne, 16th in Bahrain, 17th in Shanghai and 16th again in Baku. The last time he went up to the podium was in the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix where he finished third.
